W.W. Grainger, Inc. $GWW Holdings Cut by Financiere des Professionnels Fonds d investissement inc.

Financiere des Professionnels Fonds d investissement inc. lowered its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) by 44.2% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 883 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 700 shares during the period. Financiere des Professionnels Fonds d investissement inc.’s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $841,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Grove Bank & Trust raised its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger by 52.6% during the 2nd quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 29 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 50.0% in the second quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC now owns 30 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 3.3% in the second quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 313 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $326,000 after buying an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. Freedom Investment Management Inc. raised its position in W.W. Grainger by 5.4% during the second quarter. Freedom Investment Management Inc. now owns 215 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $224,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Burney Co. lifted its stake in W.W. Grainger by 0.6% in the second quarter. Burney Co. now owns 1,757 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,828,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. 80.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

W.W. Grainger Price Performance

NYSE GWW opened at $1,004.06 on Friday. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 1 year low of $893.99 and a 1 year high of $1,139.15. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $976.05 and a 200 day simple moving average of $991.01. The company has a current ratio of 2.72, a quick ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. The company has a market cap of $47.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.16, a P/E/G ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 1.12.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) last announced its earnings results on Friday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $10.21 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.95 by $0.26. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 9.75% and a return on equity of 49.40%. The firm had revenue of $4.66 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.64 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $9.87 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 39.000-39.750 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 EPS for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 1st. Investors of record on Monday, November 10th were given a dividend of $2.26 per share. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 10th. W.W. Grainger’s payout ratio is currently 25.35%.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In other news, CEO Donald G. Macpherson sold 12,163 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $972.57, for a total transaction of $11,829,368.91. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 103,885 shares in the company, valued at $101,035,434.45. The trade was a 10.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Krantz Nancy L. Berardinelli sold 195 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,023.93, for a total value of $199,666.35. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 3,174 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,249,953.82. This represents a 5.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 26,881 shares of company stock valued at $26,157,155. 6.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GWW has been the subject of several recent research reports. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,150.00 to $1,100.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Wednesday, November 12th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $975.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,035.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,006.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research report on Monday, December 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $1,009.43.

About W.W. Grainger

W.W. Grainger, Inc (NYSE: GWW) is an industrial supply distributor founded in 1927 and headquartered in Lake Forest, Illinois. The company supplies maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) products and services to businesses, institutions and government customers. Over its long history Grainger has developed a broad product assortment and a national distribution network that supports operations across a range of end markets, including manufacturing, healthcare, hospitality, transportation and public sector organizations.

Grainger’s product portfolio spans core categories such as electrical and lighting, safety and personal protective equipment, material handling, motors and power transmission, plumbing and HVAC, fasteners and adhesives, hand and power tools, and janitorial and facility supplies.